The Louisiana Senate approved legislation May 27 to expand the state’s medical cannabis program, according to a WBRZ report.

The Senate voted 28-6 to pass Rep. Larry Bagley’s (R-Stonewall) H.B. 819, which would eliminate a rule that requires doctors to register with the state to recommend medical cannabis to patients, as well as expand the state’s qualifying conditions to any “debilitating health condition,” the news outlet reported.

The Louisiana House approved the legislation May 15, but since the Senate passed several amendments to the legislation, it must now go back to the House for final consideration, according to WBRZ.

The Senate Health and Welfare Committee also voted May 27 to advance two additional bills to expand medical cannabis access in the state, the news outlet reported.

Rep Joseph Marino’s (I-Gretna) H.B. 158 would allow doctors to recommend medical cannabis for certain neurodegenerative diseases and conditions, while Rep. Rodney Lyons’ (D-Harvey) H.B. 330 would add chronic pain associated with fibromyalgia to the state’s list of qualifying conditions.

Arkansas True Grass, one of two groups supporting proposed constitutional amendments to legalize adult-use cannabis in the state, is abandoning efforts to place its initiative on the 2020 ballot, instead focusing on qualifying the measure in 2022, according to a Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette report.

The group has been unable to continue gathering signatures for its petition due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the news outlet reported, and it is up against a July 3 deadline to collect nearly 90,000 signatures to qualify its initiative for the 2020 ballot.

Now, Arkansas True Grass is collecting new signatures for a 2022 amendment after filing a revised copy of its proposal with the secretary of state’s office, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported.

Arkansans for Cannabis Reform, a group looking to bring a competing adult-use cannabis legalization measure to this year’s ballot, plans to continue its efforts, according to Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

Melissa Fults, director of Arkansans for Cannabis Reform, told the news outlet that although the group’s signature gathering efforts faced challenges as the state responded to the coronavirus crisis, the organization has collected more than 20,000 signatures.

In addition, a federal judge ruled May 25 that Arkansas’ laws requiring petitions to be signed in person are unconstitutional, which allows Arkansans for Cannabis Reform to begin collecting signatures electronically, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported. The ruling was the result of a lawsuit filed by another campaign in the state that is trying to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot to establish a new system for redrawing legislative and congressional districts based on the 2020 Census, according to the news outlet.

West Virginia lawmakers approved the state’s Medical Cannabis Act in 2017, but according to recent comments from Department of Health and Human Resources Secretary Bill Crouch, medical cannabis sales aren’t expected to launch until spring 2021.

Crouch said May 27 during a media briefing at the state capitol that officials have expedited the market’s launch “as much as possible” and that product will likely be available next year, according to a MetroNews report.

West Virginia’s Medical Cannabis Act authorizes certified patients to access medical cannabis for serious medical conditions, and allows the state to license 10 cultivators, 10 processors, 100 dispensaries and an unlimited number of testing labs, the news outlet reported.

The state received 285 license applications earlier this year, according to MetroNews, and Crouch said May 27 that the Office of Medical Cannabis has completed its review of cultivation and processing applications, although regulators are still reviewing the dispensary applications.

The Office of Medical Cannabis announced May 26 that it will start accepting physician registrations for the program May 28, the news outlet reported.

Tilray, a global company focused on cannabis research, cultivation, production and distribution, announced May 26 that the company will close its wholly-owned subsidiary, High Park Gardens, a cannabis greenhouse located in Leamington, Ontario.

The announcement comes as part of Tilray’s “optimization plan” for its adult-use cannabis facilities in Canada. With the elimination of High Park Gardens, which will be closed within the next six weeks, Tilray anticipates an annual savings of roughly $7.5 million, according to a company press release.

“We are continuously evaluating the evolving needs of our business, against a challenging industry backdrop, to ensure we’re in the best position to produce world-class products and deliver positive results for our stakeholders,” Tilray CEO Brendan Kennedy said in a public statement. “The decision to close a facility is never easy but we are confident that this will immediately put Tilray in a better position to achieve our goals of driving revenues across our core businesses and working towards positive adjusted EBITDA by the end of 2020. We are very confident our existing operations team will continue to serve our valued patients and customers with no interruption. On behalf of myself, the rest of our executive team and our colleagues across the organization, I’d like to extend my sincere gratitude to the team at High Park Gardens for their contributions to Tilray and High Park.”

Last year, Tilray acquired Natura Naturals Inc., which has since operated as High Park Gardens, a 406,000-square-foot greenhouse facility licensed for cannabis cultivation and manufacturing.

Now, Tilray will focus on serving Canada’s adult-use cannabis market through its other existing facilities in Ontario, which include High Park Farms, a cultivation and processing facility in Enniskillen, and High Park Holdings, a processing, manufacturing and R&D facility in London.